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"I do not want to dwell too much on my personal life because I do not like to hurt.

"I only look to the future, my plans and dreams."

Clearly the man known as 'El Toro', isn't all too keen on any displays of vulnerability, but a lot's changed for Gorka Pintado in recent years.

Not that anyone should make the mistake of thinking he has mellowed out too much, mind.

Yes, his new life in the sunshine of the southern Spanish city of Granada, is clearly far more peaceful than the warzones of his playing career, but the steel and the graft that earned him a place in the hearts of the Jack Army is still just as strong as ever.

A physical and aggressive striker, he didn't score too many goals, and injuries meant we perhaps never truly saw the best of him, but his three-year spell in SA1 is remembered with tremendous fondness by fans.

"What I think they liked about me was that I always gave my heart for the team and I have always gave my all," he said.

"I was never afraid to put my head anywhere, that's why my nickname was the Bull.

"I always jumped into the field as if it were a Roman theatre.

"Life or death."

That last sentence might seem a bit extreme, but Pintado knows what such battles are all about.

Four years ago, he was left fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack. He pulled through, only to be struck by another cardiac arrest two years later.

"I was lucky that the doctors caught both of them on time to save my life," he explains.

"They put two stents in me and I will be grateful for life to those doctors.

"I don't really know the cause. I had no risk factors.

"But these events made me see life in a different way, relax and look for real purposes that would make me happy.

"After the first episode I was on leave for a year and a half which I was taking advantage of to get nautical degrees and then I got a nautical teacher degree, which is what I really enjoy."

Few would have predicted 'yacht instructor' as a future career path for the former Swans striker, who tells me how he initially turned down the chance to link up with Roberto Martinez in South Wales.

"Roberto called me when he was in League One which did not interest me," he recalls.

"The following year I kept doing a very good season in Spain, and Roberto kept following me and when Swansea went up to the Championship he returned to the fray."

The Spaniard now has a very different career (Image: Instagram: gorka_pintado)

Pintado, at this stage now 30, had netted 18 goals for Granada that season and, within his first few appearances for the Swans, it seemed Martinez's persistence was well founded.

A goal off the bench against Nottingham Forest, and again in the League Cup game against Hull City, saw Pintado make a storming start to his career in a Swans shirt, although a regular starting berth proved elusive.

"Those goals gave me confidence," he said. "But I was not used to being on the bench and it created anxiety for me."

However, despite those difficulties, and of course the injury problems that followed, Pintado speaks about his early experiences in South Wales with great affection.

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The striker was just one member of a healthy Spanish contingent that featured Martinez, Guillem Bauza, Angel Rangel, Andrea Orlandi, and Albert Serran (the latter of whom he would later link up with at Cypriot side AEK Larnaca).

"I was lucky that there were other Spanish players there," he recalls.

"It made us support each other, it was easier to adapt.

"Roberto was the Johan Cruyff of Swansea. He changed a style of play. He took less physical people who played football.

"For me, he is a football genius who knew how to transform a philosophy and style of play.

Derby's Robbie Savage is cynically tackled by Swansea's Gorka Pintado

"I identified a lot with 'Bonner' (Graeme Jones) too. He had a character like mine - aggressive, and if you had to bite, you bite.

"The game against Cardiff came and I scored again, but I never imagined the repercussion that goal would have."

Pintado only scored nine goals during his time in SA1, and that derby-day strike, a sublime near-post volley, was by far his most notable.

"People stopped me on the streets asking for autographs and photos," he remembers.

"It was the best derby I have ever experienced and gave me the opportunity to have Roberto introduce me to John Toshack, a very dear man in my hometown of San Sebastian.

"It was an honour for me."

His goal against Cardiff City was arguably the highlight of his Swansea career

Scoring in a derby match is enough to write a player's name into folklore on its own, but there was one incident that would ultimately define his stay at Swansea, and perhaps even his entire career.

While it most certainly cannot be condoned, Pintado's clash with Robbie Savage remains one of the most infamous moments in Swansea's modern history.

Pintado, who incredibly had only been on the pitch for nine minutes, was shown a deserved straight red after nearly breaking the Welshman in half with a heavy challenge as Swansea slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Derby County in February 2010.

The resulting 18-man melee saw Pintado pushed to the ground, and required two police officers to break up.

Nevertheless, the former striker insists it didn't affect his relationship with the Portuguese boss.

"I was fine with him, but I couldn't prove everything to him, and I was sorry that I could not have been able to contribute more," he added.

"He was great person."

After previously undergoing a shoulder operation, Pintado was working his way back from a hernia operation when Sousa arrived, one of many niggling injuries he admits prevented him from making more of an impact.

"It is true that I could not demonstrate my full potential as a result of my injury problems," he explains.

"The injuries weakened me, and there was a moment when psychologically I felt my body couldn't express itself."

And, after being sent out on loan to Cypriot side AEK Larnaca by Brendan Rodgers in January 2011, Pintado's injury woes would later eventually confirm his departure from the club.

Recalling his time under Rodgers, he said: "There were things that I did not like.

"I told him that if he treated me like a professional he would not have problems with me.

"He did not do it and I went directly to speak to (Huw) Jenkins to terminate my contract.

Gorka Pintado celebrates after he scores for AEK Larnaca in a 1-1 draw against Steaua Bucuresti during a UEFA Europa League tie

"I never argued with him but he wanted to send me on loan to other teams that I didn't want to join.

"When I returned from Cyprus, the team went to the Premier League and I congratulated him for making history.

"I had a year left on my contract but I had injured my knee in Cyprus and Brendan was still the coach.

"I knew there was no place for me."

With one year left on his contract, Pintado left by mutual consent, choosing to make his stay in Cyprus permanent.

At the time, it must have felt like an almighty step down, but there would be still be some big highs to enjoy.

Under the guidance of club director Jordi Cruyff, and in Pintado's first full season, Larnaca made it through the group stages of the Europa League for the very first time.

"Jordi gave me back the enthusiasm for playing football," he explains.

"Jordi is a man of his word, a great person. He knows how to manage and understands the feelings of players.

"That is very important to make a good group. He will always be in my heart. I never imagined that I would meet a person like him.

"It was something fantastic to play in the Europa League with a modest team.

"I scored two goals and that will always remain in my memory."

When he looks back on his career, he might well wonder if his ability was deserving of a few more of those highs.

Not that the man himself is the sort to dwell on what could have been.

Indeed, he's quite philosophical on it all, understandably preferring to look at the bigger picture.

"Football moves very fast," he added.

"It has a short memory - and there's no time."

After coming so close to the abyss, it's clearly impossible not to put things into perspective.